


helpless

by ageofzelda



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: F/M, both dorks though, enjoy my zelink brainrot ig, just a cute little moment that demanded to be written, link is a bit of a flirt and way too calm under pressure, zelda is my little awkward baby
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-15 21:20:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28945053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ageofzelda/pseuds/ageofzelda
Summary: A series of short stories describing some of Zelda and Link's best moments together after the defeat of the Calamity. Essentially lots of fluff, a bit of angst, and plenty of Zelink to water your crops and clear your skin. <3
Relationships: Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 20





	helpless

_Zora's Domain, in the middle of a rainstorm. How shocking_

Zelda couldn't keep her subconscious from muttering sarcastic remarks in the back of her mind. She was not by any means pessimistic- although she could be a bit irritable at times- but a ceaseless wall of rain coming down on all sides tended to put one on edge. The young princess was soaked to the core; her field work clothing was equipped to handle small amounts of rainfall, but even the sturdy fabric had no defense against the relentless downfall. It felt like the ice-cold moisture had sunk into her bones, creeping into every vein until she felt like she might freeze on the spot.

 _Hylia, and_ he _isn't even the slightest bit affected._ Zelda noted with disdain as she looked over her left shoulder through the veil of water. She was, of course, referring to her companion, Link, who was just a few strides behind. His hood covered part of his face, but he seemed indifferent to the rain. 

It was no surprise to Zelda that the knight could endure such conditions with a calm demeanor. She'd watched him survive the worst of conditions- blinding sandstorms, deadly thunderstorms, and volcanic flames- with barely any visible discomfort. Link was good at that, burying his negative emotions deep down. If he had any. It seemed that nothing concerned Link. Nothing except Ganon, and that calamitous beast was long vanquished. Now she would simply have to deal with his effortless confidence while she stumbled over herself like a child learning to walk for the first time. 

"Everything alright, Princess?" Link called, raising his voice to be heard over the pouring rain. 

Zelda blinked raindrops from her eyes and gave a shout back: "Yes! And stop calling me that!" She told him all the time, and yet he still loved to call her princess. It had once seemed like a respectful honorific, but now he said it like a playful nickname. He somehow knew exactly how to get a reaction from her. _Hylia bless his soul._ There her subconscious went again, dripping with sarcasm. 

The mud was up past Zelda's heels; with each step her foot sank into the ground and she would have to take a great effort to pull it out. Thus she had resorted to stepping very lightly. While it prevented mud from entrapping her ankles, it also made her movements very off-balance, and she slipped often. Of course it happened again- her feet came off balance and she only stopped from falling by grabbing a nearby tree branch. For a minute it was sturdy. That did not last.

Despite the noise of the rain, Zelda could hear the _snap_ of the tree branch splitting beneath her. Her stomach plummeted, but she had no time to dread or save herself before the branch came loose and she tumbled backwards, rolling down the slope to her right.

Link shouted something inaudible, but by that time Zelda was already rolling down the hill, gasping as she scrabbled and tried to stop herself. Down the hill she slid, unable to hold on to anything. On one hand, she was thankful for the smooth slope of mud- she did not hit any rocks that could bruise her far worse than she already was- but it also meant that she had no handholds, and no way of stopping herself from hitting the mud at the base of the hill. 

The air was knocked out of her lungs and Zelda could only gasp, laying flat on her back sprawled in the mud. She saw the slope, and Link sliding down it, always at her side. To the other side she could hear the roar of the river. A small tilt of her head told her that they were maybe six meters from the river. _Thank Hylia I did not end up in there. I'd be as good as dead._ She remembered Link: _Or maybe not. He can probably swim better than a Zora. Stupid, perfect, Goddess-blessed-_

"Princess, are you alright?" Link asked worriedly. For once he seemed to have lost his composure, if only a little bit, as he inspected her with a concerned look on his face. Zelda lifted her head to look at her body. Nothing was broken as far she could tell, and she only felt bruised, not seriously hurt. More her pride bruised than anything. She'd been complaining about Link seeming a thousand times more competent than her, and here she'd only proved that point. She cursed.

Link raised an eyebrow at her language, but continued to inspect her until he seemed certain that she was alright. She hadn't even protested him calling her that. _Hylia curse him, but I do care about him. I don't mind the name too much anyways. If he likes it, very well._ Zelda wondered cynically if she'd concussed herself in the fall, because a few minutes earlier, considering letting the nickname slide was out of the picture.

Zelda shifted slightly in the mud, resting one hand over her stomach as the rain poured onto her face. The sensation of drop after drop hitting her cheeks was ceased by Link leaning over her face. He seemed contemplative, inspecting her face for scars. Always her protector, always so diligent. The princess wondered how she had earned such gentle treatment.

Instead of helping her up or telling her she was fine, however, Link's finger brushed across Zelda's face. Her cheeks colored at the touch. _What could he be..._ Her question was answered before she could finish it. There was a lock of golden hair clinging to her cheekbone, pressed there by the water- he carefully moved it off her face and behind her pointed ear. Which was, to her disdain, pink as well.

The edge of Link's lips tilted upwards in a small, pensive smile. _Goddess-blessed perfect lips. I just want to-_

They moved at the same time, Zelda lifting her aching arms upwards in a quick movement to grip the front of his tunic, Link swiftly sliding one hand up her back to rest between her shoulder bones, their lips crashing together. She kissed him hard and purposefully, tightly holding his shirt and pulling him closer to her, a movement he did not protest. The mud pressed on her back, the rain drenched them both, but it made her no more muddy and rain-soaked than she already was. The cold dissipated and they stayed like that for Hylia knows how long, all thought of the world gone from their minds.

At long last Zelda pulled away, breathless, meeting Link's gaze. Had she really just done that? With Link? His face cracked into a grin, and he kissed her cheek, then made to kiss her again, when a voice brought them back to reality.

"Link? Link! Is that you?" A royal sounding voice, full of excitement. _Royal. Wait..._ Realization sank in.

Zelda shrieked and threw herself against Link's chest, furiously red all over her face. She was not nearly as red in skin tone as the scarlet Zora who towered over them a few strides away. Prince Sidon, best friend to Link, and the one person Zelda did not want to appear undignified in front of. 

_Hylianonotlikethisnono-_

"Sidon. I'm surprised to see you out in this weather." Link, of course. The essence of composure, even after being caught kissing the princess of Hyrule in the mud. Zelda pulled her flushed face away from the knight's chest to peer at the Zora prince. Sidon seemed unaffected. If he'd noticed Zelda's discomfort, he did not seem to care. He just seemed happy enough to see the two of them.

"I love the rain! It's like the world is my ocean!" Sidon proclaimed enthusiastically. "Would you two like a ride to the kingdom? There's plenty of room for you both on my back." It was true- Sidon was huge, enough that the palm of his hand could cover Zelda's entire face and then some. 

"Ah- Th-thank you, Prince Sidon. That would be lovely." Zelda's voice wavered, lacking the same confidence and strength as the other two. _How are they so calm? Hylia curse you, Zelda, you fool!_

Sidon gave them one of his signature grins. _So much for dignity,_ Zelda thought with a sigh. 

And yet, she could not help herself from smiling.


End file.
